Students showed off their knowledge of obscure facts May 19, with their eyes on the $100 prize.
The ActionPAKT Club, in partnership with NHS, organized JeoparMania! Trivia Night for 45 competitors and 150 attendees. Raising $2,535 in total for medical research, the event benefited the Lupus Foundation of America.
To begin, students took an objective test – created by the event organizers – and 16 competitors advanced to Round 2. Rounds 2 and 3 were rapid-fire rounds where event organizer and emcee junior Lauren Wong asked a variety of trivia questions – whose categories ranged from world geography to popular culture. The event culminated in a final round with two contestants going head-to-head, but a third “favorite loser” had the chance to rejoin the game.
Three students who were eliminated chose to make “campaign speeches” and unite their supporters from the audience behind the cause of getting them to the final round. They were tasked with fundraising the highest amount, and junior Andrew Rollins won a spot in the final round with a total of $135 to his name.
“It was crazy to see kids who had so much love for their friends that they just pulled out their wallets and started giving me [the designated money-collector] $20 bills with no second thoughts,” junior Esther Oyetunji said. “They ended up donating even more than the prize amount was worth.”
Rollins, sophomores Jack Finneran and Rafael Kattan competed in the final Jeopardy!-inspired faceoff. After 25 questions, Finneran emerged victorious by a landslide (over 1000-point difference).
“It was exhilarating to buzz in and show what I know. It definitely got my heart pounding. I thought the final round (Jeopardy) was the most fun by far, especially the “Stupid Answers” category. I especially loved all the support from the audience, who were cheering on everyone and making it an altogether enjoyable night,” Finneran said.
